Adjustable picture hanger



Sept. 19, 1950 s. H. SCHRAGER ETAL 2,522,901

ADJUSTABLE PICTURE HANGER Filed Oct. 30, 1948 Patented Sept. 19, 1950 ADJUSTABLE PICTURE HANGER Sidney H. Schrager and Roy L. McGuire, San Francisco, Calif.; saidMcGuire assigner to said Schrager Application October 30, 1948, Serial No. 57,546

Our invention relates broadly to suspension type supports and more particularly to a picture or mirror hanging device by which vertical adjustments may be made to the end that a picture or mirror or other like device may be perfectly leveled while suspended upon a wall.

An object of our invention is to provide a new and novel form of suspension support which is particularly suitable for the hanging of pictures, heavy mirrors and like devices upon a vertical wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a picture hanging support of a type which when used in pairs may be individually adjusted to provide for a leveling of a picture or other device supported thereby.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view with one of our improved supports shown in section,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the manner in which our support may be manipulated to facilitate its attachment to loop of conventional design attached to the frame of a picture, or the like,

Figure 3 is a iront view of our support, as shown in Figure 1, and looking to the left with the mirror removed,

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views showing details of parts of our support.

We are aware that others have provided suspension means for supporting pictures and the like in which means are provided for adjustment, but so far as we have been able to determine none of these prior devices provide a means by which an adjustment may be made, to effect `a leveling of a picture or mirror, without demounting or disconnecting the picture or other article suspended thereupon and while the weight of the picture or mirror is carried thereby. To meet this condition we provide a support which may be adjusted while supporting the weight of a picture or the lik-e. This we accomplish by providing a saddle-like member that is adapted to be rmly secured upon a Wall or a similar surface and from which there is suspended a threaded member that may be freely turned to control the elevation of a hook carried thereby upon which the article being supported is hung.

For a better understanding of our invention 2 Claims. Cl. 248-31) reference is now mad-e to Figures 1 and 2l of the drawing, wherein we have illustrated the preferred embodiment of our support. As here shown our support comprises a saddle member I I] that is adapted to be secured flat against a wall II in a conventional manner by two horizontally spaced and diagonally extending nails I2. This saddle member IU has an outwardly extending flange I3 that has a centrally disposed hole through which a threaded member or machine screw I4 is projected downwardly so as to be suspended by its head and extending downwardly along its outer edge this flange I3 has a reinforcing lip I5. Slidably mounted upon the threaded member or screw I4 there is a hook member I6 that has a horizontally extending ange I'I at its upper end and a turned out hook forming portion I8 at its lower end. The flange portion Il of the hook member I 6 likewise has a centrally disposed hole through which the threaded member or screw I4 is adapted to extend and threaded upon the screw I4 there is a nut I9. This nut I9 is preferably of square outline and is of a dimension which will prevent f its turning, as here shown, when assembled with respect to the hook-like member I6. lin the drawing the hook member I5 is shown as adapted to engage with a clip or loop carrying plate 2i) ,such as is customarily provided upon the backs of pictures, mirrors and like articles. It will be understood, however, that this hook forming portion I8 may take many forms depending upon the nature of its attachment to the picture and therefore this clip or loop carrying plate 20 forms no part of our present invention.

In connection with the above described assembly`it should be pointed out that the suspension screw accommodating hole in the saddle member I0 is made slightly larger than the shank of this member so that it may swing freely with respect thereto. Likewise the hole in the flange I1`of the hook-like member I6 is also made sufliciently large to permit a swinging of this member with respect to the screw I4. This will permit a manipulation of the assembled parts in the manner illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing and thus facilitate an interconnection between the hook member I6 and the clip or loop carrying member 20 carried by the picture, here designated by the numeral 2l.

By now referring to Figure 3 of the drawing it will be seen that when the parts are assembled as described above, the threaded member or screw I4 will be suspended from the saddle member I0 centrally between the two nails I2 by which the saddle member is secured to the wall II. As a result of this arrangement the load carried by the hook member I6 will be equalized between the two nails. If it should happen that the spacing between the saddle members I6 when fixed upon the wall I I does not correspond exactly with the spacings between the clips or loop carrying plates 20 upon the picture or mirror the threaded member or screws I4 will be free to cant sidewise Oneway or the other so as to compensate for any such slight differences in alignment. The clip or loop carrying plate 26 is here shown in the form of a flat strip of metal which is adapted to be secured to a frame of picture or mirror by three screws ZI and is offset at its upper end and provided with a slot 22 through which the hook portion I8 of the hook member I6 may pass.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing the hole in the ange I3 of the saddle member In is slightly elongated or in the form of a slot so that the threaded member or screw I4 may swing outwardly, as indicated in Figure 2, and to accommodate this outward swinging of the threaded member or screw I4 the lip I5 is notched out as at 23. In this iigure of the drawing it will also be noted that the holes through which the nails I2 are projected are arranged in offset relation so as to provide for the diagonal disposition of the nails I2.

As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing the hook member IB is capable of taking different shapes. For example, the hook shown in Figure 5, is primarily intended for use with clips or loop carrying plates such as the member 2E) above described Vwhich are generally provided upon the backs of larger pictures and mirrors. As distinguished from this, in Figure 6, the hook forming portion I8 is shown as curved in two planes at its bottom to form a saddle-like configuration as at 24. This latter form of hook member will be found particularly suitable for use with eyelets such as are also provided for the hanging of pictures and the like. As a further variation it is conceivable that this hook forming member I6 may be formed from a length of wire with a right angled eyelet at its upper end through which the threaded member I4 will extend to engage the nut I9.

With the above described arrangement it will be seen that after the picture or mirror 2l has been hung upon the wall l I, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the supports may be independently adjusted by a simple turning of one or the other of the threaded members or machine screws I4 with a screw driver, here designated by the numeral 2 5. In this manner a microscopic adjustment may be conveniently and eiectively accomplished without any demounting of the picture.

While we have, for the sake oi clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements, we desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an adjustable hanger for pictures and the like, the combination of a saddle member adapted to be xedly attached to the surface of a wall and having an aperture through which a threaded member may be projected, a threaded member extending through said aperture and depending from said saddle member, a movable hook member having a wall engaging portion and an oiset ange with an aperture through which the depending end of said threaded member is eX- tended, and a threaded nut at the outer end of said threaded member arranged and adapted to be held against turning by said hook member when said threaded member is turned, whereby the elevation of a picture suspended upon said hook member may be adjusted by a turning of said threaded member.

2. In an adjustable hanger for pictures and the like, the combination of a saddle member having spaced parallel portions with holes arranged diagonally inV alignment through which nails may be driven to secure said member upon a wall, said saddle member having an aperture through which a threaded member may be projected Vand suspended, a hook member adapted to engage with the wall surface having an oiset portion with an aperture in align with the aper ture in s aid saddle member, a threaded member having an enlarged end by which it is suspended from said saddle member, and a nut upon the depending end vof said threaded member arranged and adapted to be held against turning by said hook ,member when said threaded member is turned, whereby the elevation of said hook member with respect to said saddle member may be adjusted while carrying the weight of a picture or the like.

SIDNEY H. SCHRAGER. ROY L. MCGUIRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 368,251 Stuebner Aug. 16, 1887 681,380 Turner Aug. 27, 1901 1,196,936 Elsass et al Sept. 5, 1916 

